President, Virgin Music UK
Course: BA (Hons) Music and Drama with Theatre Arts, 2006
Sectors: Arts, Drama, Theatre, Music and Business, Management
Vanessa is President of the UK at Virgin Music Group, the world’s leading partner for independent artists and labels, a division of Universal Music Group. Artists she is currently working with include Tom Odell, The Kooks, Clairo, The 1975, Beabadoobee, D-Block Europe, Gary Barlow, Underworld, Pendulum, Jessie J, Rema, David Kushner and Disclosure. Named by Billboard as an International Power Player in 2023 and UK Power Player 2025, Vanessa has also lead Virgin Music Group to victory at the Music Week Awards and The A&R Awards.
Previously she was a musician who toured the globe for 15 years, founded the record label and publisher Regent Street Records, headquartered in London, and acquired and ran the live music agency Dippner Entertainment Agency, with offices in Oslo and Bergen, Norway.
Vanessa spent 6 years as an independent label representative on the board of the BPI, where she also became the director of the BPI Innovation Hub; a post that led her to first becoming a mentor at Abbey Road Red, where she is now a member of the board.
For an opportunity to be mentored by Vanessa, apply now to the Alumni Leadership Mentoring programme.
Image credit: Carston Windhorst